The Regional Passport Office in Tiruchi has been issuing 15,000 passports in a month, said K. Balamurugan, Passport Officer, in Thanjavur on Tuesday.

Mr. Balamurugan was speaking at a training and interaction programme for police officials on passport verification at the Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) here.

Mr. Balamuguran said that out of 15,000 applications issued, Thanjavur Passport Seva Kendra accounted for a major number of passports that was around 7,000 passports.

Under the Tiruchi Regional Passport Office, there are two passport sevea kendras — at Tiruchi and at Thanjavur. While Tiruchi centre covered three districts, the one in Thanjavur covered five districts.

Mr. Balamurugan said that verification by police officials was an important work in issuing passports and police officials should not take it lightly. They should look at it from employment and economic point of view. They should ensure speedy verification without compromising on national security aspects. He insisted on police officials personally seeing the “face of the applicant” it was important from the point of view of security. “Speedy passport verification will help youth capture international jobs quickly,” Mr. Balamurugan said. Elaborating on how to become rich as a nation, Mr. Balamurugan said that rich countries worked on their competitive advantages and traded with other nations.

Three crore Indian people lived throughout the world .Their remittances during the year 2012 were $ 110 billion. They saved the Indian economy during 1991 economic crisis, crisis arising out of 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, the recession in 2000, 2001 earthquake, and tsunami. “That is why the Centre created a new ministry for Overseas Indian Affairs in 2004,” Mr. Balamurugan added.

Thirty police officials — sub-inspectors and inspectors from Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and Nagapattinam districts — participated in the training and interaction.

The in-service training centre has organised this programme as per the guidance of V.H. Mohamed Haniffa, Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Thanjavur Range).